Island



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. 0. POTTER.

MEGHANISM FOR GRINDING FLATS IN OARDING ENGINES. No. 559,601 Patented May 5, 1896.

ANBREN B GEMMMJNGTO-UYNO WASHINGTON DC (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J.O.POTTER. v MEGHANISM FOR GRINDING FLATS IN GARDING ENGINES.

Patented May 5, 1896.

Wjl lneaaea IQ) Ina gator? %6;ZZ a 6 .w DREW a mumm W010 LTHD WAsmM-TVILDC UNITED STATES PATENT Urrrcn.

JAMES C. POTTER, OF PAIVTUGKET, RIIODE ISLAND.

MECHANISM FOR GRINDING FLATS IN CARDlNG-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,601, dated May 5, 1896.

Application filed. February 18, 1896. Serial No. 579,767. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES C. POTTER, of Pawtucket, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Grinding Flats in GardingEngines, of which the followingis a specification.

In the operation of grinding card-flats it has been the custom either to support the flats upon a guide or hearing which enters that one of the two scatings with which the flats are provided at each end known as the grinding-seating or to press them up against the under face of a guide, (the bearing-face of which may be patterned to impart the desired surface to the flats,) and in this case the working seating of the flats-or the seating which travels over the bend when the flats are doing their workis that which is pressed against the guide. Both of these plans are open to objection in that they do not effectively take into consideration and provide against the differences in grinding brought about by the wear of the working sea-tings due to their frictional contact with the bend over which they travel when doing their work in the carding-engine.

It is the object of my invention to obviate this objection and to provide a mechanism by which the flats will be ground with the utmost accuracy and uniformity. To this end I press, as heretofore has been done in one of the known plans above alluded to, the workin g seating of the flat up against a guide; but the guide in my mechanism instead of being stationary is freely movable vertically or in a direction toward and away from the grinding-roll, and it has a bearing of the same curvature as the bend, so that the flat in traveling along the guide follows for that distance a path which is the counterpart of that in which it travels over the bend. \Vith this movable guide I combine an actuating pattern cam or former, by which the guide is actuated and controlled in its movements in such manner that as the flat traverses the guide the latter will be moved so as to im part to the toothed face of the flat a surface of the desired conformation. It is this combination of the guide freely movable to and from the grinding-roll. with an actuating pattern cam or former therefor which mainly characterizes my invention.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe it more in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, after which I will point outin the claims those features of the mechanism or apparatus which I believe to be new and of my own invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a revolving-flat cardingengine as needed for the purpose of explanation with a portion of the grinding bracket and stand removed, so as to expose the parts behind. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the flats removed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged end view of a flat. Fig. 5 is an elevation of that part of the grinding stand and bracket which is removed in Fig. 1.

I represent the mechanism on one side of the engine. The other side of course is provided with a similar mechanism.

A is a portion of the frame of the cardingmachine, and A is the usual bend on which the flats E rest and over which they move in doing their work. Each flat at each end has a working seating e and a grinding-seating c.

B is the grinding-bracket stand, secured to the frame A and supporting the adjustable grinding-bracket C, in which rests the grinding-roll D. The grinding-stand also carries the adjustable bracket 0 for the burnishingroll. The flats as they pass toward and away from the grinding-roll are supported upon pulleys Q and R. The first-named of these revolves upon a fixed cross-shaft Q, which extends between and connects the two grin ding-stands on opposite sides of the engine and acts as a stay-rod. The block or pulley R is mounted in and carried by a bracket S, adjustably secured to the frame of the engine.

J is the guide-piece, which, as hereinbefore stated, should be freely movable to and from the grinding-roll, to which end it is in the present instance fulcrumed upon the shaft T, which, like shaft Q, extends between and connects the two grinding-stands B on opposite sides of the engine and acts as a stayrod. This piece J has the part K, which overhangs the ends of the flats to be ground and up against which the working seatings e of the flats are pressed and held, as hereinafter described. This part K, which constitutes the guide proper, has a bearing-face of absolutely the same curvature and radius as that of the bend A, upon which the working seatin gs hear when the flats are carding.

The movements of the guide to and from the guiding-roll are controlled by a pattern cam or former whereby, as each flat is ground from heel to toe, the gradual lift of the guide and consequent rise of the flat, needed in order to accurately grind the slanting face of the flat, is obtained. This former or patterncam consists, in the present instance, of a oam-wheel II, formed with a number of cams h and keyed or otherwise suitably fixed on a cross-shaft G, mounted to revolve in bearings in some suitable part of the machine, in this instance in the grinding-stands B. This shaft is rotated in such manner that it will revolve a distance equal to one cam h during the time that any one fiat is passing beneath the grinding-roll. To effect this result I fix on the shaft at each end a cog or star wheel F, having teeth equal in number to the cams or camlifts 7L and so fashioned and located that these teeth will engage, in rack-and-pinion fashion, the lugs or bosses c on the flats. In this way the cam-shaft G is revolved by and moves in perfect unison with the flats. At the point where the cams h meet the guidepiece J the latter is provided with a steel bearing-pin L to resist wear and reduce friction. It is necessary that during the move ment of the guide occasioned by the action of the cams the flats should be held up against the guide proper, K, and to this end I provide a presser which is mounted 011 and carried by the guide-piece J. The pressing device in the present instance consists of a weighted lever O, f ulcrumed between its ends at 0 on a cross-rod 0, which extends between and connects the guide-pieces J on. opposite sides of the engine. In the end of the shorter arm of the lever is fulcrumed the presser M, which is fast upon a cross-shaft m, taking its bearing in the two levers O on opposite sides of the machine and carrying a presser M at each end. The presser is formed and positioned so as to enter the grinding-seating e of the successive flats, and the action of the lever O is to squeeze or press the flats between the guide K and the presser M whatever may be the movement of the guide-piece J. To prevent the presser M from following the movement of the flats it has a hook-shaped end m, which catches over a retaining-pin N, projecting from the inner face of the guidepiece J.

Such being the construction and organization of the parts the mode of operation-is as follows: The pulleys B, one 011 each side of the machine, are lowered until the weight of the flats comes on the guide-pieces J suffi ciently to cause the latter to bear with the requisite pressure upon their cams h. Now

as the flats move along they, by the engagement of the lugs c with the star-wheels F, revolve the cam-shaft G, and consequently the pattern cam or former H. As each fiat passes beneath the grinding-roll the cam h appro priate to it will gradually lift the guide-piece J, and consequently the flat. The shape of the cam is such that the conjoint forward movement of the flat and the lifting motion of the cam will combine to retain the grinding-point or point at which the grinding-roll meets the wire face of the flat always in the same plane notwithstanding the slant of that face from heel to toe. At the time the flat passes beyond the grinding-roll the cam 71 appropriate to that flat passes beyond the bearing-pin L, and the guide-piece J at once drops upon the succeeding cam h into position for the commencement of the grinding upon the following flat, After the grinding operation has been completed the working parts are relieved from strain and wear by raising the pulleys R so as to take off from said parts the weight of the flatsand then lifting the lever O on each side of the machine. The first effect of lifting the lever is to lower the presser M and thus remove the pressure from below upon the flats. time the lever will have brought up against the pin N or some other suitable stop on the guide-piece J, and consequently further lift of the lever O will'have the effect of raising it and the guide-piece J bodily upon the'axis T as a fulcrum. In this way the guide proper, K, will be lifted out of contact with the flats and the guide-piece J raised out of contact with the pattern cam or former II, and thus there will be no pressure of the working parts upon either the flats or the cams. The movement of the lever O is stopped before it is raised high enough to bring the presser M into contact with the flats, the ends of the latter passing freely about midway through the space or clearance now existing between the presser and the guide, and the lever, by any suitable latch or detent, is sustained in this position until the parts are again to be called into operation. I prefer that the presser M shall bear, not against the face of the grinding-seating e from end to end, but against a central rib f thereon arranged so that it shall be in a line which, if prolonged, would pass midway between the two ends of the working same can, in many respects, be widely varied by the skilled mechanic without departure from the spirit of the invention; but

What I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

By this IIO 1. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding-engines, a guide-piece freely movable toward and away from the grinding-roll and provided with a guide proper having its under face along which the working seatin gs of the flats travel of the same curvature as that of the bend over which the said working seatings travel when the flats are carding, a pattern cam or former, and operating mechanism therefor, for actuating, and controlling the movements of said guide-piece, and a presser whereby the flats are held pressed up against the guideproper during the movements of the guide-piece substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. In mechanism for grinding flats in card ingengines, a guidepiece freely movable t0- wa-rd and away from the grinding-roll and provided with a guide proper having its under face of the same curvature as that of the bend over which the flats travel in carding, in combination with the flats, an actuating pattern cam or former connected to and moved by said flats, and a presser whereby the flats are held up against the guide proper during the movements of the guide-piece, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore, set forth.

3. The guide-piece freely movable to and from the grinding-roll, and having a guide proper, in combination with a presser for holding the flats up against said guide proper, a pattern cam or former for actuating said guide-piece, a shaft on which said pattern cam or former is mounted, a cog-wheel on said shaft, and the revolving flats formed to engage and rotate said cog-wheel, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

a. In mechanism for grinding flats in cardin g-en gines, and in combination,a guide-piece movable to and from the grinding-roll, and provided with a guide having its under face of the same curvature with that of the bend over which the flats travel in carding; means whereby said guide-piece is caused to gradually rise as the grinding of each flat progresses and then to drop to its original position; and a presser whereby the flats are held up against the guide during the movement of the latter, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

5. In mechanism for grinding flats in cardin gengines, the combination of a pivoted guide-piece movable upon its axis to and from the grinding-roll, a presser mounted on and carried by said guide-piece and acting to hold the flats up against the guide-face on said guide-piece, and mechanism whereby said guide-piece is caused to move toward and away from the grinding-roll at the times and in the manner substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

(3. The pivoted guide-piece movable upon its axis to and from the grinding-roll, and mechanismwhereby said guide-piece is caused to move, intermittently and at the proper time, toward and away from said roll, in combination with a pressing-lever carried by and fulcrumed in said guide-piece, and a presser mounted on and carried by said lever, for holding the flats up against the guide-face on the guide-piece, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

7. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding-engines, the combination of the pivoted guide-piece J provided with guide proper K, the lever O fulcrumed in said guide-piece, the presser M carried by said lever, the patterncam H, its shaft and cog-wheel F, and the revolvin g flats adapted to engage and rotate said cog-wheel-under the arrangement and for joint operation, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of February, 1896.

JAMES C. POTTER.

Vitnesses:

SOLOMON Ronnn'rsou, E. S. NAGLE. 

